LIVE UPDATES: CA Congressional Races And Propositions

CALIFORNIA — As Joe Biden said, "It ain't over until all the votes are counted."

About 24 hours after the polls closed in California, several of the state's most closely contested congressional races and ballot measures remained too close to call. And much like the presidential race, it could be days or weeks before the final tallies are in.

As expected, California single-handedly ran up the count of President Donald Trump's apparent popular vote loss. With 66 percent of precincts reporting, former vice president Biden garnered 7,910,112 votes to Trump's 3,986,276 votes. Though millions of votes are left to be tallied, Biden is on track to surpass Hillary Clinton's performance in the state four years ago. In the 2016 election, she garnered 61.7 percent of the vote in the Gold State. Currently, Biden stands at 65.3 percent of the vote.

However, the Republican Party's poor performance at the top of the ticket may not prove to be much of a drag in the down-ballot races in California. In fact, as of Wednesday night, things are looking hopeful for the GOP's congressional delegation in the state.

Going into Election Day, there were eight Congressional races rated as competitive to varying degrees. Those included California’s 4th, 10th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 39th, 48th, and;50th Congressional Districts. As of Wednesday, Devin Nunes, the Republican incumbent in the 22nd won re-election, and Republicans were leading in five of the other races. Those races were too close to call as of Wednesday, but if those Republican leads hold up in the 4th, 21st, 39th, 48th and 50th districts, the GOP will have flipped three House seats.

The final results may yet take days to tally. Some of the Republican leads are razor-thin and may yet evaporate as mail-in ballots are counted. No one knows that better than the candidates themselves. Two years ago in the 21st District, David Valadao was declared the winner on the day after the election. However, votes were still being counted, and three weeks later TJ Cox was declared the victor. In this year's rematch, Valadao's current lead is a smidge over 3,000 with 42 percent of precincts reporting.

Similarly, in 2016 in Orange County's 39th District, Young Kim declared victory and had flown to Washington DC for her congressional orientation, when the final results came in, handing the race to Gil Cisneros. In this year's rematch, she leads by 1,500 votes with 90 percent of precincts reporting.

It's not uncommon for the mail-in ballots counted after Election Day to lean Democratic, said Fred Smoller, a professor of political science at Chapman University.

“Democrats tend to vote by mail, creating something called the blue shift because it tends to favor Democrats.”

Both Kim and Valadao were victims of the blue shift in 2016.

Of the Democrats in competitive races, 10th District Rep. Josh Harder was the lone incumbent to win re-election by Wednesday night. Christy Smith was the only other Democrat of the group to lead in her race as of Wednesday night. If her lead holds, she would unseat 25th District incumbent Mike Garcia, for the Democrats' only Golden State flip so far.

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SEE ALSO:

• California’s 2020 Propositions Explained
• 8 CA Congressional Races That Could Help Shape The State's Future
• Counting Votes On Election Day: What To Expect In California

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Much like the congressional races, there were some clear winners in the 12 statewide proposition battles and some nail-biters that remained too close to call Wednesday. The winners included Prop 17, the measure granting voting rights to parolees; Prop 24, the consumer privacy measure; and Prop 22, which exempts app-based companies from making their drivers employees.

There were also some clear losers declared by Wednesday night. They include Prop 16, which would have allowed affirmative action in California; Prop 20, the tough-on-crime measure; Prop 21, the expanded rent control measure; Prop 23 which would increase regulations for dialysis clinics; and Prop 25, which would have ended cash bail in California.

The Propositions that remain too close to call Wednesday including Prop 14, the stem-cell research bond measure; Prop 15, the commercial property tax measure; Prop 18, allowing 17-year-olds to vote; and Prop 19, which changes residential property taxes.

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The sense of anxiety surrounding Election Day in California continued with the presidential race yet to be called. However, the civil unrest that prompted businesses in urban centers such as Los Angeles to board their windows hadn't materialized. Small pro-Trump and anti-fascist demonstrations that dotted the state remained largely peaceful as of Wednesday. Still, police departments such as the Los Angeles Police Department remained on citywide tactical alert.

CONGRESSIONAL RACE RESULTS

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PROPOSITIONS RESULTS

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